Storm: The Prophecy
by Cheyla
Summary: Life begins and ends with a storm. Four cats from four clans have different goals in mind for their lives but one prophecy can make them reconsider their dreams. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Here's the prolouge people!

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A storm was brewing outside the forest. Rainstorm could sense it in the air. The wind brushed past her black fur and slender body faster and harsher than normal. The air held the intense, sweet smell of rain.

The next moment, Rainstorm's prediction came true. Lightning brightened the sky in a quick flash as she felt the thunder in her very bones. Amber eyes widened in fright at the suddeness of it all. The storm wasn't miles away like she originally thought. It was right upon her.

A bolt of lightning struck just fox lengths away from the slender cat and she began to panic. Without thinking, Rainstorm began to run. Trees fell around her as the wind howled angrily. As Rainstorm ran, visions flashed through her mind. Visions of kits being born and warriors dying in battle. Visions of newleaf and leafbare. Plants gre only to be scorched away by fire. Animals born only to be killed by their hunters.

_Life begins and ends with a storm_, the wind seemed to hiss as Rainstorm broke from the cover of the forest. What she saw stopped her in her tracks immediately.

A war was being fought out on the moor. Never before had Rainstorm seen so many cats, not even at the Gatherings each moon. In the distance Rainstorm could make out four identical cats racing to help. Behind them, the warriors of Nightclan moved to form a single eye in the stars. Lightning flashed once and the center of the eye shone yellow. Another flash and the iris was a dark green. A third, and now it was dark blue.

What confused Rainstorm was the fourth flash of lightning. The center of the eye changed to half blue, half green.

Another crash of thunder and the battle of the moor was gone. Rainstorm stood beside the Great Waters, a place she knew about only from legends. Another crash and she was prowling the mountains.

"The journey is long and hard, Rainstorm." Immediately, the young she-cat recognized her mother's voice, even though her mother had joined Nightclan when she was still an apprentice. The black warrior glanced around hoping to get a glimpse of her mother but there was no such luck.

"You can't do it alone." Her mother's voice continued. "Remember, every storm has four parts." The voice began to fade as did the visions. Soon Rainstorm was all alone on the moor, at the edge of the forest. One more time the wind hissed in her ear.

_Life begins and ends with a storm._


	2. Rainstorm: Before the Meeting

Summary: Rainstorm has always wondered about life outside of the Clans since she was a kit. Windstorm didn't want to be anything other than a normal warrior and certainly didn't want to deal with any prophecies. A single dream brings them together on what seems to be a wild goose chase a long ways away from home. Thunderstorm knows his life isn't with Seaclan, with no danger. Instead it's fighting and protecting...someone. Lightning was Selected at birth to protect her Clan through a prophecy. Trained all her life, failure is not an option. Life threatens them all but for some it's not the first time.

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Yellow eyes opened in a flash and Rainstorm scrambled to her feet.

"Watch it." One of her fellow warriors growled as she accidently kicked him with one of her back paws. Another warrior hissed as Rainstorm stepped on her tail.

"Sorry!" Rainstorm mewed and ducked outside the warrior's den. Almost immediately she was drenched. It seemed that the storm in her dream wasn't just a dream.

The she-cat decided to seek shelter under one of the many trees that covered their camp. It didn't keep out all the rain but it kept her from most of the water falling from the skies. She wouldn't remain dry but she wouldn't be soaking wet either.

"Awful morning today, isn't it?" Rainstorm turned her head to see the Forestclan medicine cat sitting closer to the trunk of the tree where it was somewhat drier.

"Hello Morningsong." Rainstorm dipped her head to the cream colored she-cat in greeting. "I doubt anyone will want to leave camp in this weather."

Morningsong purred in agreement.

"Some will need to be brave enough to do so, however." She pointed out. "The Clan will need fresh-kill sometime today and if the warriors refused to go out and hunt when there was horrible weather, the Clan would never be fed during leafbare. Not to mention, there's a Meeting tonight."

Rainstorm nodded silently. She had noticed over the last few nights that the moon was close to full. The two she-cats sat in silence for a bit more before Rainstorm decided to bring up her dream.

"Morningsong," she began hesitantly. The medicine cat gave the newly made warrior her full attention, knowing something was up. Since Rainstorm had been a kit and she herself had been an apprentice, Morningsong had always known that the younger she-cat had a destiny to fulfill. Rainstorm continued.

"I had a dream last night. It wasn't like other dreams I've had before, where I was chasing a butterfly or hunting a mouse. I think it may have been a prophecy, but I don't know why I, a warrior, would be having prophetic dreams."

"Explain the dream to me," Morningsong demanded gently, prompting the she-cat to continue.

"It was storming out." Rainstorm began. "But it wasn't a regular storm. It was the storm of all storms, complete with rain, wind, lightning, and thunder. I was running to get away from it."

Rainstorm took a deep breath and forced herself to continue.

"As I was running, I saw kits being born and warriors dying. The different seasons and fire burning away newly grown plants. A voice was hissing in my ear, 'Life begins and ends with a storm'. There was a war being fought on the moor, more cats than Forestclan and Moorclan could hold taking part. More cats were joining."

Another deep breath was needed. Morningsong sat silently, letting the warrior tell the story at her own pace.

"In the lights of Nightclan, an eye was formed. It started out yellow, then green, then blue, and then half green and half blue. When I looked back to the moor, I was no longer there. I was at the Great Waters and the next time I looked, I was in the Great Hills.

"I heard my mother's voice. She was telling me that the journey was long and hard and that I couldn't do it alone. She mentioned something about a storm having four parts. Everything faded and that's when I woke up."

Morningsong pawed at the dirt, thinking about what she just heard.

"It's definitely a prophecy." She admitted. "Though I've never heard of a prophecy being so clear and so vague at the same time. It tells you where you must go and what you must find but it doesn't give a hint to what you are going to prevent, besides from a war."

Morningsong looked at Rainstorm, who looked very much shaken and like she wanted to hide in her den. She purred, trying to comfort the young she-cat.

"From the day you were born, Rainstorm, I knew that you had something greater in store for you. It was only more apparent when you were a kit. You kept asking for stories about things that happened outside of the clans and you were always curious about what lay outside the territories."

Rainstorm looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed. All that Morningsong was saying was true. She had been a very curious kit.

"You think there's others I need to find then?" She asked. "And that I'll have to travel further than any other cats have before to find them, whoever they are."

Morningsong nodded.

"Start close to home though. I have a feeling that there's a cat in Moorclan that has had a similar dream." The medicine cat mentioned. "It's best that you have a partner to go with you on your journey before you leave. I'll talk to Ashstar about letting you go to the Meeting tonight. Hopefully you'll find the one then."

"How will I know?" Rainstorm asked, sheathing and unsheathing her claws in the dirt nervously.

"You'll just know." Morningsong replied.

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Read and review please!


	3. Windstorm: Before the Meeting

Summary: Rainstorm has always wondered about life outside of the Clans since she was a kit. Windstorm didn't want to be anything other than a normal warrior and certainly didn't want to deal with any prophecies. A single dream brings them together on what seems to be a wild goose chase a long ways away from home. Thunderstorm knows his life isn't with Seaclan, with no danger. Instead it's fighting and protecting...someone. Lightning was Selected at birth to protect her Clan through a prophecy. Trained all her life, failure is not an option. Life threatens them all but for some it's not the first time.

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It had been a very long morning for Windstorm. Not only had he not slept well the night before due to _the dream_, but he was also fairly positive that _the dream_ had actually been a prophecy. However, he refused to admit that it was a legitimate prophecy. He blamed _the dream_ on the storm that had raged through the night and well into the morning, on the fresh-kill he had eaten right before falling asleep, on the whistling wind from the storm, on the damp air, on his apprentice for testing his patience throughout the day. Windstorm would go as far as to blame the Clan leader before admitting that he was having prophetic dreams.

After all, he only wanted to be a simple warrior, without having to deal with prophecies from Nightclan. From kithood he had known that he wanted to be a warrior, nothing more. From what he had heard and seen from stories and among the clan, others treated those who were apart of prophecies as something more than just a regular warrior. Windstorm didn't want to be seen as different. Once he had achieved that goal and received his warrior name, Windstorm had been fine to go about his life as a simple Moorclan warrior.

Then _the dream_ had started a few moons ago. It had been the first time Windstorm had attended the Meeting as a warrior and he had run across a she-cat that looked scarily similar to him, the only exception being that she had yellow eyes instead of his green eyes. Besides that tiny difference, they had the same color pelt and the same body shape.

After that Meeting, Windstorm began having _the dream. _The first few nights he had disturbed his clanmates by his thrashing around but after awhile, Windstorm had gotten used to the dreams. He still woke up violently after he had _the dream_ but he no longer woke up the other warriors of Moorclan. The black tom was also no longer as jumpy and twitchy as he used to be. It used to be that he was jumpy and twitchy the day after he had _the dream_ but now it was no longer so. He could act normally, if only slightly more crabby.

If only Swiftpelt, the Moorclan medicine cat, would stop giving him those looks. Windstorm was sure that Swiftpelt was aware something was up but he refused to approach the medicine cat. The patched tom hadn't said anything either, so Windstorm was completely fine with just ignoring _the dream_ whenever he had it.

For some reason, today felt different to Windstorm. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get _the dream_ off his mind and it kept affecting his performance as a warrior. When out hunting, he had only managed to catch a single skinny rabbit the entire afternoon, while his apprentice, Shadowpaw, had caught not only a rabbit, but had surprised a fat grouse as well. He could still hear Shadowpaw's mother purring over the size of the grouse.

Windstorm dug his claws into the grassy dirt, sheathing and unsheathing them to make little scratch marks in the ground. The rain had started up again as the sun began to set, leaving the warriors of Moorclan reluctant to leave camp and the bare shelter they had. However, some would have to go to the Meeting and the Moorclan warriors were waiting for the announcement of who would go.

Windstorm's attention was drawn to the center of camp where Froststar was beginning to circle and yowl to get all of her warrior's attention. Those who had been in their dens or lurking on the sides of the camp in the shadows emerged, looking curiously. The apprentices, especially the younger ones, looked excited. All were hoping to be chosen to go to the Meeting.

"The moon is full tonight and Nightclan has made the sky clear," Froststar began in her cool, high-pitched voice, using the traditional words that had been passed down since the beginning of Moorclan. "We, the warriors of Moorclan, will gather with the warriors of Forestclan on the border between the forest and the moor for an entire night, meeting to keep the peace between the Clans for one more moon cycle. On this night, the cats representing Moorclan will be Darkcloud, Swiftpelt, Ripplepool, Robinsong, Shadetail, Windstorm, Applepaw, Featherpaw, and Willowheart."

The warriors called yowled in acknowledgement. Windstorm did so half-heartedly, his stomach knotting up. He had a feeling that this Meeting would change his life, exactly the opposite of what he wanted to happen.

"Windstorm, aren't you going? The others are leaving," Windstorm's apprentice, Shadowpaw asked. Windstorm saw his clanmates disappearing out of the camp and into the moor, leaving to attend the Meeting. With a sigh, Windstorm nodded and bounded after his fellow warriors, leaving his home behind.

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Read and review if you enjoyed it! I know this chapter is short but I promise that I'll try and make the rest longer. After the Meeting, the plot will get going fortunately and that means that there'll be more for me to type and more for you to read!


	4. Rainstorm and Windstorm: The Meeting

Hey everyone! So instead of studying for my Japanese test, I decided to work on an update instead. I hope you all enjoy!

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Normally the Meeting was absolutely boring. It was exciting the first few times as an apprentice but once it was realized that nothing new would be said at the Meeting, it gradually became something tedious and routine. On occasion there would be a new face but once you knew all the warriors and apprentices, you couldn't even look forward to seeing someone new.

This Meeting was a bit different for Rainstorm, however. It was much like the first time she had attended a Meeting as an apprentice, where she was eager to get the chance to meet everyone there. The difference this time around was that she wasn't going up to each individual feline in Moorclan and introducing herself. Instead, she was content to sit back and listen until she heard a name mentioned and then move on. She didn't understand how Morningsong was confident that she would know what cat she was looking for. How would she just know?

It was when the Meeting officially began that she felt it. There was someone sitting behind her that her entire body was aware of. The fur on the back of her neck prickled as she felt a stare on her body.

Windstorm had spent the time before the Meeting keeping out of sight as much as possible. He didn't want some nosy Forestclan cat poking her nose into his business and finding out about his dreams, especially if it was the she-cat he was thinking of. She was here at this Meeting. He had seen her mingling with the other warriors, listening for a few heartbeats before moving on. She seemed to be looking for something. She was definitely on a mission and it scared him.

As the Meeting started, Windstorm made sure to sit behind her to keep a close eye on her. He was positive at first that she wouldn't notice him but then she had to tense up and look around. He had only been staring at her for a few seconds but apparently that was enough for her to catch on.

Yellow eyes met green eyes and the fur on the back of Windstorm's neck raised. It took all of his willpower not to draw away and hiss at her. She was a threat to everything he wanted in life. If she _was_ part of the prophecy and had been having the same dreams he had, then she would surely try and convince him to come along for a 'prophetic journey'. With one conversation, she could easily take away all his dreams to become a normal warrior, living life without too many complications. She would try and drag him to who knew where to do who knew what.

Windstorm definitely didn't want that.

Rainstorm's ears flattened as she noticed the tom giving her a hard stare and turned back around to face the two leaders. He looked amazingly like her, just with green eyes instead of yellow. When their eyes met, she knew what Morningsong had meant. This was the cat she had been looking for. Now, once she had talked to him, they could start on their journey.

Looking back at the tom, Rainstorm had a feeling that she would have to go to a great deal of effort to convince the tom to come with her. Not only was he giving her an unfriendly look, but she also thought she detected fear in those green eyes.

Since there was nothing new to talk about at the Meeting, it was over with quickly. The formalities over with, warriors from each clan lingered on to talk, mingling with each other. Normally Rainstorm would have done so as well but she had to talk to the green-eyed tom. Before she could do that, she had to find him.

As soon as the Meeting was over with, Windstorm slipped into the shadows and tried to figure out the best way to leave without crossing paths with too many other cats. He stuck to the sides of the crowd, nodding occasionally to a clan member.

Rainstorm caught a glimpse of the tom just as he was slipping away. She trotted after him, intent on catching up with him before he could cross into Moorclan territory. It was a close call. She caught up just as he reached the boundary line.

"Wait!"

Windstorm froze at the sound of her voice. He had been so close. He turned and gave her a hostile look, a small hiss escaping him.

"Yes?" he demanded. Rainstorm paused. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to say. She had more of an act first, think later personality.

"I'm Rainstorm," she decided that introducing herself first was the best way to go. The green-eyed tom said nothing, tail twitching irritably. Rainstorm gave him a look but continued on.

"I've been having these weird dreams lately," she mentioned, starting from the beginning. "Prophetic-like dreams."

Windstorm developed a sinking feeling in his gut as she continued to speak.

"Morningsong, our medicine cat, is confident that it's a prophecy."

"Why are you telling me this?" Windstorm demanded of her angrily. He didn't want to hear this. Rainstorm sighed at his angry tone. He was definitely going to make this difficult.

"Because I have a feeling you've been having similar dreams. Because I have a feeling you're also part of this prophecy."

Windstorm hissed at her.

"So what if I am? It doesn't mean anything. Prophecies don't control our lives."

"Don't tell me you actually believe that," Rainstorm snapped back, fur on her back rising ever so slightly.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to consider the other option," Windstorm snarled out. "Unlike you, I'm perfectly content to be just a normal warrior. I don't _want_ to be special."

"And you think I do?" Rainstorm demanded. This tom was irritating the crap out of her. How could anyone be so mouse-brained and assuming?

"It certainly seems that way. After all, _you're_ the one that approached me," Windstorm said. Rainstorm snorted.

"Because I don't _want_ these dreams anymore. I haven't slept through the night for moons because of them. I hate looking over my shoulder, wondering when this horrible thing will happen," she said. "I hate having to sit around, waiting, when I could be out there doing something."

"Then go by yourself," the black tom replied. "I'm not going to abandon my clan. If something's coming, then they can come to us and unlike Forestclan, we'll be ready."

Rainstorm snarled and unsheathed her claws. She had been willing to work with the tom at first but now, with his attitude and scorn against her clan, she wasn't so willing anymore. This was probably why Forestclan and Moorclan warriors intermingled as little as possible outside of Meetings.

"Good luck trying to fight against foes you don't even know yet," she said in a scathing voice. "Meanwhile, I'll be on a journey, gathering more information."

"You do that," Windstorm replied, trying to sound like he didn't care at all. "Hope your clan understands why you abandoned them."

The two felines stared each other down for a few moments before turning and going their own ways, seething. They had only gone about five fox-lengths when they heard a pitiful crying. The pair looked in that direction. It sounded vaguely familiar though neither had heard that pitch and call together. Usually they were separated. The call of a cat, trying to survive against an enemy. The high-pitched tone of a kit.

The two black felines stopped in their tracks, eyes widening. Kits were in trouble.

Rainstorm and Windstorm broke into a sprint, going towards the crying kits. Windstorm was naturally faster than the she-cat, having grown up on the moors chasing rabbits. Rainstorm was able to keep up, however, out of sheer determination. Whatever had the kits was faster, though. It seemed that the farther the pair went, the kits were drawn farther away.

Windstorm caught a glance of something up ahead, something that looked like the tip of a cat's tail. Finding a second wind, he burst ahead of Rainstorm, claws unsheathed. The extra burst of speed allowed him to get closer to the creature they were pursuing, and subsequently the kits, but what he saw made him falter a bit. Those were the largest cats he had ever seen.

Rainstorm and Windstorm skidded to a stop at sight of the rushing river. The large cats, with the kits grasped firmly in their jaws, had boarded a two-legger contraption that was bound for downriver. They had missed the cats by mere seconds.

Windstorm hissed under his breath. That was Fawnkit that the monstrous cat had. Rainstorm recognized Oakkit as the other kit.

Windstorm paced angrily, unsure of what to do. They had been so close. He couldn't go back now. If he did, the trail would be lost. Rainstorm sheathed and unsheathed her claws in frustration. After a few minutes of thinking, she let out a sigh.

"Let's follow that thing downstream," she suggested. "Forget about the prophecy for now. Let's just save the kits. We've already come this far." She didn't mention that she suspected that this kit-napping could be related to the prophecy. Seeing the size of those cats, she would definitely need help and Moorclan tom was the closest she could get right away.

Windstorm stopped his pacing, looked at her, and resumed pacing again. After a few heartbeats, it became clear that he had no real choice.

"Fine," he agreed. "Let's save the kits."

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	5. Along the River

Enjoy this update and please, please, please review!

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Trailing the two-legger contraption was much harder than either cat expected it to be. They hadn't expected it to move as fast as it did. Soon, the pair of warriors collapsed on the ground, panting as the boat sped out of sight. In the distance they could still hear the kits wailing.

Windstorm hissed as he regained his breath and dug his claws into the dirt. He paced back and forth, tail lashing behind him furiously.

"What do we do now?" he demanded of the recovering Rainstorm. She thought for a moment.

"Well, we could go back but then the trail will definitely be cold," she said. "Or we could follow the river and see if we can find where the two-legger thing landed and maybe pick up the trail again from there."

"There are a lot of maybes in that," grumbled Windstorm. "We don't know if we'll be able to."

"But those are clan kits," Rainstorm pointed out. "We have to try, even if it's for nothing but our clans. I don't think I could go back to my clanmates, knowing that I didn't try to save those kits with all my heart."

Windstorm continued to pace. The she-cat had a point. He hissed under his breath. She was right. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't try to find those kits.

"Are you ready to keep going?" he asked reluctantly. Rainstorm blinked.

"What?" she mewed, tilting her head.

"Are you ready to keep going?" Windstorm repeated, biting out the words. Rainstorm got to her feet and nodded.

"Whenever you are," she replied. Windstorm said nothing. Instead, he turned and padded away. Rainstorm trotted after him once she realized she wasn't going to get a reply. He was such a grumpy tom, she mused to herself.

The pair padded along the river in silence. They had silently agreed to work together for the time being but that still didn't change the fact that they were rivals. Neither could risk forming a friendship with the other. Later on, that friendship could be used against them if the clans went into battle against each other. It was bound to happen. It always did.

After a few hours, when the sun had nearly completed its cycle in the sky, a squeaking noise caught Rainstorm's ears. Immediately after the squeaking stopped, her stomach grumbled. The black she-cat changed her course and padded silently towards the nearby brush. Her nose twitched as she picked up the scents of a nest of baby mice.

Instinctively, she slipped into a hunting crouch and crept closer.

Windstorm noticed that his reluctant companion had stopped trailing him and paused, looking back. He held back an irritated hiss when he realized she was hunting but the irritated feeling left him when his stomach grumbled as well. He was quite hungry.

Rainstorm only needed to take a few more steps and then the prey would be hers. Hopefully the baby mice would be too young to move. Then it would be a feast. Normally Rainstorm avoided killing the babies of her prey, so that there would be more prey in the future, but in this moment she would kill all that she could. There was no longer a clan that she needed to hunt for. There was only herself and Windstorm.

Rainstorm leapt. There was a sharp squeal and then sudden silence. When Rainstorm lifted her head again, she was holding the limp body of an adult mouse. She dropped it and beckoned Windstorm over with her tail.

"I found a nest," she told him. "We should stop to eat and rest before moving on."

"But the trail will get even colder!" Windstorm protested. Rainstorm glared at him.

"We'll kill ourselves going at the pace you want to go at. I'm sure that not even your great Moorclan stamina would last if you went for days without food or rest. We don't know how long it will take to catch up," she snapped.

"If we even catch up," Windstorm muttered. Rainstorm hissed and the fur along her spine fluffed up.

"We _will_ catch up," she insisted. "We have to. Now eat."

Windstorm opened his mouth to say something more but Rainstorm cut him off with another hiss.

"Eat!"

The pair ate in silence. After, they settled down to rest. Neither was looking forward to resting but both understood that it was a necessity. They wouldn't be able to maintain their original pace for long without such essentials.

The moon was high in the sky when Rainstorm woke up, gasping and shivering. She had been given another dream. It was the same one like always. Once she recovered, she spat as she realized how high the moon had traveled.

"Wake up!" she hissed, prodding Windstorm with a claw. The black tom jumped and his eyes snapped open. Green eyes glared at her.

"What?" he demanded. Rainstorm gestured at the moon with her tail.

"Time to go," she said and took off. Windstorm scrambled to his feet, briefly stretched, and took off after her.

For the next few days, the pair traveled like that. After the original two days, Rainstorm and Windstorm began to relax around each other to the point where they could carry on simple conversations without wanting to rip the other's fur off. One night, the pair of black cats came across a line of two-legger homes but they were able to stay close to the river and avoid any of the large two-leggers. They saw a couple more of those two-legger contraptions but each one they came across was too small to be the vessel that the kits had been brought on.

Then, one day, about a week after they had started traveling, the two warriors reached the end of their path. The river roared as it widened. The water moved quicker and wilder as it reached its final destination. The pair turned a bend and stopped in their tracks. Rainstorm and Windstorm stared at the sight before them and turned to each other. Each had a look of utter hopelessness in their green and yellow eyes.

The river had ended, sure enough. It opened up into a large body of water. The other side could not be seen. Neither cat had seen anything like this before, but they knew what it was from the stories and legends their elders had told them—the Great Waters and the end of the world.


	6. At the Great Waters

"You know what this means, right?" Windstorm paced back and forth. "They couldn't have gone any further. They've got to be close!"

Rainstorm stared at the vast body of water.

"I never expected it to be this close," she said. Windstorm gave her an odd look. Rainstorm decided to elaborate further. "I mean, we've only been traveling for a few sun cycles. When I was a kit, I always figured that to reach the Great Waters a cat would have to travel on for moons."

Windstorm let out an irritated puff of breath.

"Can we focus on the kits?" he requested. "That is what we came here for, after all."

"I am focused on the kits!" Rainstorm defended herself. "But can't you set aside one moment to just think about what we've done!"

"I did," Windstorm mewed snippily, "and that moment has passed. I just want to get this stupid quest over with."

"You think rescuing kits is stupid?" Rainstorm hissed.

"No, but I would have gotten a lot further if you weren't with me. I'm sure I would have caught up to them by now," Windstorm replied. Rainstorm tossed her head in frustration.

"Oh, I'm sure," she snapped. "You and your great Moorclan stamina. My Forestclan heritage can never measure up to the great and fabulous you."

The fur on the back of Windstorm's neck rose at her tone. He let out a menacing hiss and his claws unsheathed. Rainstorm hissed back, also unsheathing her claws.

"Just remember," she reminded him, "if I hadn't stopped you on the way back from the Meeting, we would have never found out who kidnapped the kits and what direction they went in."

"And yet, we don't know anything more than that," Windstorm replied. "We're at the Great Waters and we still haven't found those kits."

Rainstorm was about to retort but she was interrupted by an awkward mew.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing that you're after some kidnapped kits," a tom's voice broke in. Both Windstorm and Rainstorm turned to face the newcomer. It was yet another black cat, yet this one had dark blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Windstorm demanded. The tom blinked his blue eyes at him.

"I'm Thunderstorm," he introduced himself. "I live around here."

"Thunderstorm?" Rainstorm repeated. Her tail flicked as she pondered this. Was he a part of the prophecy as well?

Windstorm seemed to pick up on what she was thinking of.

"Oh, no," he muttered. "You can't honestly be thinking—"

Rainstorm flicked out her tail to cover Windstorm's mouth. Surprised, the irritable tom took a few steps back and spat out some fur that had gotten left behind. He glared at Rainstorm.

"I'm Rainstorm and this is Windstorm," Rainstorm introduced them. "Two large cats took two of our…" she trailed off, trying to think of an easy way to explain the clan system. She doubted that Thunderstorm would know about clans. She had never heard of clans besides Forestclan and Moorclan. "Two of our family's kits," she finished hesitantly.

"Why are you telling him this?" Windstorm hissed in her ear. Thunderstorm sat down, his gaze never leaving the other two cats.

"I think I know the cats you're talking of," he mewed after a minute. "They've taken some of our kits, too."

"Our kits?" Windstorm turned away from Rainstorm to give Thunderstorm a curious look. "What do you mean by that?"

Thunderstorm's ears flicked as he tried to shoo away flies that were annoying him.

"I should have introduced myself better," he muttered, more to himself than to the others. "I'm Thunderstorm of Seaclan."

Rainstorm's jaw dropped open.

"Seaclan? Like an actual clan? There's more?" she mewed, shocked

"I don't know about more. The only clan I know about is Seaclan," Thunderstorm said.

"We come from clans as well," Windstorm admitted reluctantly. "We never heard of others."

Thunderstorm looked surprised but also pleased.

"I always suspected that there were others," he mewed. "It didn't make sense that there would only be one. The stories of old always spoke of multiple clans."

"Stories of old?" Rainstorm tilted her head to the side.

"Must be like our nursery tales," Windstorm claimed. "I remember a few of the Great Journey that mentioned there was a group, not entirely certain that where our clans settled down was the right place Nightclan led us to and continued on. If it really did happen, it would make sense that they would stop at the Great Waters. They wouldn't be able to travel any further than the end of the world after all."

Thunderstorm purred in amusement.

"Great Waters? End of the world?" he repeated. "It's just the sea. The two-leggers go across it and come back time and time again. They have these contraptions that float on the water and do the swimming for them."

Rainstorm's hopes faded at the sound of that.

"So you mean our kits could have been taken across?" she asked mournfully.

"Not if the kits were taken by the same cats that have taken ours in the past. They travel towards the rising sun and take the kits into the Towering Hills," Thunderstorm said. His claws unsheathed and he dug them into the ground in frustration. "I keep trying to convince my clanmates that we should go after them but they're too intimidated. Every cat that comes from the Towering Hills has horror stories to tell. Our leader says only a foamhead would make that journey."

"Foamhead?" Windstorm's voice had an unidentified quality to it, but Rainstorm suspected it was amusement. Thunderstorm nodded.

"A cat who has a head full of foam," he mewed. "One that isn't the brightest."

"A mouse-brain?" Rainstorm said. Thunderstorm shrugged.

"Whatever," he replied and then gave the pair a piercing look.

"Are you planning on going towards the Towering Hills?" he asked.

"We have to," Rainstorm mewed softly. "We've been specially chosen to save our clans and I think this kitnapping is only the start."

* * *

Review please!


	7. The Third Member

Despite their desperate need to continue searching for the kits, Thunderstorm refused to lead them in the direction the kit stealers had gone. His reasoning was that it would be getting dark soon and it wasn't safe to move about after dark. Windstorm was full of complaints at first but Rainstorm was fascinated, especially when Thunderstorm led them straight to the Seaclan camp, which was located in a hollow between a couple of large piles of sand. Thunderstorm had called them dunes.

The cats of Seaclan stared a lot, Windstorm decided. He kneaded his paws against the soft ground nervously. Their stares caused the fur on the back of his neck to stand on edge.

Rainstorm hadn't seemed to notice the stares. She was too busy digging up information from the Seaclan members. She was asking them all sorts of questions, trying to pinpoint ways this clan differed from her clan. Rainstorm remained at her side, quiet and on edge.

"So you two are from other clans?" Windstorm turned his head to see a newcomer approaching the pair. Rainstorm turned her attention to the newcomer as well. Instantly the cats of Seaclan backed away, letting the tabby tom come closer.

Rainstorm spoke for both of them. Windstorm was fine with that.

"We are," she replied, tail flicking. She had a feeling this tom was important but she hadn't gotten around to asking her questions about the hierarchical order of Seaclan.

"Our Thunderstorm discovered you?" the tom asked, examining the pair with his eerily blue eyes.

"I did," Thunderstorm interrupted. "On the edge of our territory. They were following the kit stealers in order to rescue their kits."

At this announcement, hushed mews broke out around the sandy hollow. A few of the she-cats looked nervous. Windstorm idly wondered if they were former queens who had lost kits to the kit stealers as well.

"How long did it take for you to arrive here?" the tabby tom asked.

"Seven suns," Windstorm answered immediately. The tabby's tail flicked.

"That's far for them," he mewed quietly. "They already have quite the journey from their home to here. I wonder why they continued to look when they already know that we're an easy prey."

Thunderstorm's claws unsheathed and he dug them into the sand at the last comment. It was a constant source of aggravation for him how helpless his clan seemed to be. They had no enemies before the kit stealers so there was no need for them to learn anything other than hunting and avoiding the two-leggers. From what he had gathered from Rainstorm and Windstorm, they had been trained to fight from the time they could hunt.

"Windstorm and I are going after them," Rainstorm informed the blue-eyed tabby. "How far away is their camp?"

The tabby tom's ears flicked as he thought.

"It takes two suns to get to the Towering Hills," he mewed. "After that, we don't know. No cat enters the Towering Hills, except for them."

"Why not?" Windstorm questioned, a sense of dread creeping up on them. Blue eyes met green eyes.

"It's rumored that once a cat enters the Towering Hills, they never come out," the older tom replied. "Bodies of our kind and other creatures are often found at the entry points. Even a foamhead would be able to realize that it's a warning."

Rainstorm and Windstorm traded glances as the tabby tom padded away. The rest of the Seaclan cats left them alone after that conversation, occasionally tossing a nervous or admiring glance in their direction. Only Thunderstorm remained to talk.

"Are you really planning on entering the Towering Hills?" he asked. Windstorm nodded.

"We need to get our kits back," Rainstorm meowed. "It's not in our nature to leave a clan member behind."

A thoughtful look came across Thunderstorm's face. Rainstorm peered closer at the blue-eyed, black-furred tom as she spotted the contemplative look. Windstorm sighed and burrowed into the sand like he had seen other clan members doing. It looked like they would be spending the night. Hopefully they would be able to leave in the morning.

Rainstorm took advantage of the silence from her comrade to utter a question that had been on her mind since she had learned Thunderstorm's name.

"Thunderstorm, have you been having any dreams lately?" she asked. Thunderstorm tilted his head.

"Dreams?" he asked, as if the word was foreign to him.

"Things you see when you're asleep," Windstorm explained. Thunderstorm bobbed his head in understanding.

"Sleep visions," he corrected them. "What about them?"

"Have you been having any about a storm?" Rainstorm asked. "And fighting?"

Thunderstorm kneaded his paws onto the sand.

"Sort of," he said carefully. "My brother was in the dream. A two-legger contraption killed him a few seasons ago. He mentioned something about a storm having four parts and a journey."

Rainstorm gave Windstorm a smug look. Windstorm's tail flicked irritably. It looked like they would be dealing with a tagalong. Great…

"We've had the same dream," Rainstorm informed the blue-eyed tom. "We're thinking the kit stealers have something to do with the dream."

"She thinks that," Windstorm interrupted. "I'm just trying to get the kits back."

Rainstorm hissed in the tom's direction. She was quickly growing tired of his constantly crabby mood. Hopefully Thunderstorm would come with them and balance out Windstorm with his seemingly mellow attitude.

Thunderstorm's tail twitched.

"So?" he asked. Rainstorm looked down at her paws.

"I think, that if we want to get rid of the kit stealers for good, we have to work together," she mewed quietly. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and Windstorm."

Thunderstorm looked at the two black-furred cats. They were offering him something that he had always craved. Since the day he was born, he had had the urge to travel, sure that there was more of the world than what his elders had told him. Now he had the chance to leave Seaclan and travel, never mind the danger.

"I'd have to ask Sea," he replied. "But yeah, I'd like that."

"Sea?" Rainstorm asked. Thunderstorm used his tail to gesture to the blue-eyed tabby tom they had spoken with earlier.

"He's the leader of Seaclan," Thunderstorm explained. "If I go with you, without his permission, I can never come back to Seaclan. I'd be driven away if I tried."

Rainstorm bobbed her head in understanding.

"Ask him in the morning," she told Thunderstorm. "We want to leave as soon as possible."

The blue-eyed tom nodded. Windstorm let out a huff and closed his eyes. He was hoping Sea would say no, just because he didn't want another cat slowing him down.


	8. From the Sea to the Towering Hills

Rainstorm found herself being prodded awake with a paw. She let out a small hiss, wanting to stay asleep for a bit longer. She was exhausted, having barely slept since this journey started.

"Just jab her with a claw," she heard Windstorm mew.

"But a member of Seaclan never uses their claws against another member of Seaclan," Thunderstorm replied. "Or against a friend."

Rainstorm opened her eyes as she heard Windstorm hiss in irritation.

"Ignore him," she said as she got to her paws. "He constantly wakes up on the wrong side of the den." She yawned and stretched before twitching her tail. Thunderstorm looked confused.

"There's a wrong side of the den?" he asked. Rainstorm let out a purr of amusement. Clearly certain phrases weren't universal, she was learning.

"He's cranky all the time," she explained. "Did you ask your leader if you can come with us?"

Thunderstorm kneaded his paws against the soft dirt.

"I did," he said. "He wasn't happy about me wanting to go but he won't stop me. If there's even a chance that we can stop these kit stealers, he thinks we should try."

Rainstorm was surprised that the leader of Seaclan was so understanding.

"Of course, he also said that in a few days, he would send some people to collect our bodies at the entry to the Towering Hills," Thunderstorm continued. "He doesn't think that we'll succeed."

Windstorm snorted.

"Let's just go," he grumbled. "We're wasting time." The Moorclan tom turned to Thunderstorm. "I hope you can keep up."

"I'm one of the fastest in the clan," Thunderstorm informed him. "Speed is necessary to avoid the two-leggers."

A few hours later, Rainstorm and Windstorm were mildly impressed by Thunderstorm's stamina. Through observation, they could tell that he didn't know how to fight but he could definitely keep up with them. The soft, light-colored dirt that Thunderstorm called 'sand' burned their paws but Thunderstorm seemed unaffected. The sand was also hard to run across. With every step, Rainstorm found herself sliding and sinking. Windstorm was looking forward to having grass underneath his paws once again.

"What are the Towering Hills like?" Rainstorm asked Thunderstorm after the first day of traveling. The sand was starting to cool without the sun to keep it warm. She shivered slightly from the breeze coming off the water.

"I'm not really sure. I've never been," Thunderstorm admitted. "But they aren't hard to miss. Everyone says that they're the largest hills in the world, made mostly out of rock. The tips are supposedly always covered in snow and it's supposed to be a place where only the toughest can live."

Windstorm snorted.

"They can't be that bad," he said, wrapping his tail around his paws and settling into the sand. "It's probably just nursery tales."

"You can see them in the distance," Thunderstorm said. "I'll show you in the morning. We should be close enough by now."

When they began their journey again, Thunderstorm pointed out the Towering Hills that stood in the distance. The day before, Rainstorm and Windstorm had assumed that they were more of the sand hills that Thunderstorm called 'dunes'.

"And it'll take only one more day to get there?" Rainstorm asked skeptically. The Towering Hills still seemed to be far off. Thunderstorm bobbed his head.

"We should get there as the sun begins to hide behind the waters," he said. "And we'll actually enter the Towering Hills tomorrow. Better to enter unfamiliar territory in daylight, don't you think?"

"Especially when there's something that could kill us, if the rumors are true," Rainstorm agreed. Windstorm huffed, not believing that a place could be as terrifying as the cats of Seaclan had made it out to be.

Rainstorm's stomach twisted nervously as the Towering Hills loomed closer. By sun-high they had reached unbelievable heights and according to Thunderstorm, they still had a ways to travel before reaching the entrance to the Towering Hills.

At sundown, Windstorm swallowed nervously as he stared up at the darkened hills before shaking his head. Sure, they were big, but that didn't mean anything. Most things were big to felines like them. Even trees could be considered big. But large didn't necessarily mean dangerous.

Still, he had a foreboding feeling about the Towering Hills. They seemed…off. There were no other words.

"Here looks like a good place," Thunderstorm mewed, finding an abandoned den that hadn't been used in a couple of seasons. Rainstorm and Windstorm eyed it nervously. They didn't want to sleep out in the open but they could be easily trapped in the den if something came after them.

Neither of them said anything, though, and both of the cats followed Thunderstorm into the den, tails twitching nervously. Neither would sleep very well that night.

Rainstorm sighed in relief as a touch of sunlight broke through the den entrance. She got to her paws before prodding Thunderstorm and Windstorm awake. Windstorm practically jumped to his feet, making Rainstorm give him an uneasy look. She didn't like how the tom was so jumpy and paranoid. It was a stark contrast to the bravado he normally put forward.

Thunderstorm eyed the Towering Hills nervously as he emerged from the den. He had never been so close. Now he had the chance to finally see what secrets lay within the tall hills. He was only slightly reassured that there were no dead creatures anywhere in sight.

"Ready?" Rainstorm asked the two toms. Thunderstorm bobbed his head while Windstorm merely sighed. They really had no choice if they wanted to track down the missing kits.

"Here goes nothing," he grumbled, taking the lead and bounding forward. The rock felt cool under his paws and slightly slippery. He could only hope it wouldn't rain. Traveling through the Towering Hills in the rain would be absolutely miserable. There were plenty of places to take cover but the group of three had no idea what could be hiding behind a bush or a pile of rocks.

Rainstorm followed behind Windstorm and Thunderstorm, taking one last glance in the direction from where they came. Suddenly she wanted to be back in the forest, surrounded by things that she knew.


	9. Rock and Day

Thunderstorm's fur stood on end once the territory that he knew was out of sight. The cold wind that rustled through his fur did nothing to reassure him. Windstorm's front claws sheathed and unsheathed nervously as the trio stopped for a rest. Rainstorm looked up at the highest peaks of the hills, taking note of the white caps that were shrouded in clouds. She wondered if, upon reaching the top, they would find the entrance to Nightclan.

"So how are we going to go about finding the kits?" Windstorm asked once he had caught his breath. The air was thinner, making it harder to breathe the higher they climbed. "There's no scent for us to track."

Thunderstorm and Rainstorm traded looks. Neither of them had thought of that.

"Well, hopefully we can find someone that lives here that would know which way they went," Rainstorm ventured. Windstorm huffed in irritation as Thunderstorm nodded along. He didn't have high hopes. Who would be crazy enough to live in this forsaken place? There was barely any food, water, or shelter. Both Windstorm and Rainstorm had heard stories about their ancestors that had crossed the Towering Hills to make their home where the clans currently were settled. Neither could imagine multiple clans trekking across these hills. The three cats had been at traveling for three suns now and each one was harder than the sun before.

Out of the corner of his eye, Windstorm saw a rabbit streak across the open ground. Instinctually, he gave chase. Any fresh-kill was a welcome relief for the starving travelers. Fresh-kill was rare nowadays. Not much could survive in the Towering Hills, besides the occasional rabbit and mouse. There were plenty of birds but they were difficult to catch.

The rabbit was nearly in his grasp when another form shot out from a group of nearby shrubs and bowled over Windstorm. The tom let out a screech of surprise as he rolled on the hard rock.

"Windstorm!" Rainstorm cried as another cat seemed to come out of nowhere and attack her companion. Her claws unsheathed as the black cat raced to protect her friend. Thunderstorm followed close on her tail.

As Windstorm rolled to a stop, Rainstorm slowed her pace and approached the stranger, teeth bared and legs stiff to appear threatening. She could tell that the stranger was a tom, and a heavily built one at that. His body was covered with scars of battles past, though most looked like they hadn't come from fellow cats.

"Rock!" A feminine voice cried out. Thunderstorm looked around and was barely able to see a light-gray tabby she-cat crossing the rocks and shrubbery. She was headed in their direction.

"Stay back, Day!" the tom growled in warning and…protectiveness? The she-cat slowed and gracefully came to a stop slightly above the trio of strangers and the tom called Rock. She looked between the group nervously.

"You could have killed me!" Windstorm hissed in rage as he got to his paws. His tail stood out straight and stiff behind him while his fur rose along his spine.

"You were hunting our prey!" the other tom spat. "You have no right to hunt here!"

"We didn't know that anyone lived here," Thunderstorm broke in calmly, though his body language betrayed how nervous he felt. "We haven't seen anyone in suns other than us."

" That's because those who live in the area know how to blend in better than you lot," Rock hissed.

"Rock!" the she-cat above them admonished quietly at the tom's harsh tone. She didn't want a fight. Her and Rock were outnumbered and Rock was really the only one of the pair that would be able fend off the trio.

"What, Day?" Rock asked. "Do you want me to treat them _nicely_? They're strangers. Don't you remember what happened the last time strangers came into our territory?"

"We don't plan to stay long," Thunderstorm mewed quietly. "We'll keep moving if you direct us out of your territory. We're just looking for our kits."

Both Day and Rock's gaze snapped toward the tom in wary curiosity.

"Kits?" Day asked. Rainstorm nodded eagerly.

"A few of our kits were taken from us. We've been following the trail to get them back for nearly a moon now."

Day's tail twitched nervously.

"By abnormally large cats?" she asked. Rainstorm nodded.

"Have you had trouble with them as well?" she asked the grey she-cat. If they did, maybe Day and Rock knew where the kits had been taken.

"We did until we moved," Day said. "They haven't been able to find us. They stole our kits as well. They must have expanded their range."

Rainstorm nodded and she realized they had forgotten something.

"We promise we mean no harm," she said. "We're just trying to get our kits back. I'm Rainstorm, and this is Windstorm and Thunderstorm." Rainstorm used her tail to indicate who was who.

Rock and Day traded surprised looks at the mention of the names. Day leaped down to stand next to Rock and mewed something quietly. The three black cats could make out a few words here and there.

"…storms…black fur…matching color…could it be?"

Feeling awkward, Thunderstorm interrupted the hushed conversation.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. Rock and Day broke apart.

"I think you should come with us," Rock said, looking among all three strangers.

"I'm Day that Never Ends,, a hunter" Day added. "And he's Rock that Tumbles, a protector. We're from the Clan of the Mountains."

Clan of the Mountains? Rainstorm was surprised to hear that an entire clan lived in the Towering Hills. How did they keep themselves fed? Or was this the legendary clan that had helped Forestclan and Moorclan across the Towering Hills when the clans had originally made the journey. Had they really survived for that long?

"Why should we come with you?" Windstorm asked, ever the cautious one.

"Because our leader will want to speak with you. There's a prophecy that's been among our clan for generations that we think you are a part of."


	10. Prophesized

Windstorm's claws scraped against the rock in silent anger as he followed his companions. Wasn't it enough that he was already a part of one prophecy? He had never asked to be chosen! He just wanted to be a decent warrior that hunted and protected his clan. He wanted nothing to do with prophecies.

The black tom grumbled to himself as Rainstorm bounded ahead of him, closely followed by Thunderstorm. They actually enjoyed this, he realized. They enjoyed the constant traveling and meeting new cats. They enjoyed adventure and he couldn't understand why. All adventure led to was often empty bellies and sleeping out in the cold, away from the warmth of burrows and clanmates. The appeal of such a life was a mystery.

"So who is it we're going to meet?" Rainstorm asked Rock and Day. The two mountain cats were in the lead, though it was clear that they were moving slowly for their visitors' benefit. Rainstorm and the others weren't used to traveling on such terrain and were slower than kits, according to Rock. The gray and white-patched tom was anxious, constantly keeping an eye on the skies.

"Speaks for the Mountain," Day replied. "He guides our clan. He was chosen by the Clan in the Night Sky and they often give him prophecies and visions of the future."

Day's words intrigued Rainstorm.

"So your leader is given the prophecies?" she asked, tail waving. "Not your healer?" Then something occurred to the she-cat. "Do you have a healer?"

Day bobbed her head.

"Speaks for the Night," she replied. "It used to be that visions would come to whomever was in her position, explaining her name, but then the visions started coming more to the Speaker of the Mountain. The Clan in the Night Sky said that it was because the Speaker for the Night needed to focus on taking care of the clan and making sure the clan was healthy."

"So Speaks for the Night and Speaks for the Mountain are titles, not names?" Thunderstorm asked. Day bobbed her head again.

"They are chosen from kithood and are trained to take up the role when the current ones pass on," the she-cat replied. "We are all chosen for our roles at kithood and those roles never change until we become the Watchers for the Clan."

"If we live that long," Rock grumbled. "Nearly there now. Pay attention to where you're stepping. It's tricky."

Thunderstorm was impressed by the sure-footedness of the mountain cats. The slippery rocks barely slowed them and the occasional long leaps were covered easily. Of the group of five, Thunderstorm felt that he was struggling the most. He had grown up on sand, where one could dig in their paws easily. The only challenge was the heat of the sand and he had grown accustomed to that. The cold rock beneath his paws was entirely foreign.

Day and Rock slowed their pace so that they were slowly padding along. This was a place where even they had to be careful at times.

"Be thankful it hasn't rained for some time," Rock informed the visitors. "When it rains, only the hunters and protectors go out of the cave. We don't even let trainees out."

"Why?" Thunderstorm asked. Rock jerked his head to the side, where the rock suddenly dropped off.

"Because one wrong step and they would tumble to their death," he replied. "It has happened too many times to count. Even the best of us can fall."

His words sent chills up the spines of the three black cats.

"Rock!" Day called. The tom looked at her and Day gestured to a pile of rocks above the cave entrance, which had just become visible to the group. Rainstorm narrowed her eyes. Was that a cat sitting on the rocks? She could make out a blurry black form, obscured by the fog that was rolling over the mountains.

"Do you think she knew?" Day asked Rock. The tom's tail twitched.

"I don't know," he replied. "And I certainly wouldn't ask. You know how prickly she can get about those sorts of questions. She doesn't believe in prophecies, remember."

Day shook her head.

"Which I don't understand," she mewed. "How can one chosen at birth not believe in her destiny?"

Rock didn't reply. Instead, he glanced back at the other three.

"Stay close and be prepared for some hostility," he warned. "Our clan doesn't take well to visitors, especially now that our kits were stolen. They won't attack but they won't be friendly.

Windstorm and Thunderstorm nodded, but Rainstorm kept her eyes trained on the black form above the cave. The fog thickened for a moment before the wind blew it away. When the sky cleared, the form was gone.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"One of the more hostile members of our clan you'll encounter," Rock stated.

"Storm full of Lightning," Day replied. "She doesn't take well to any cats, particularly not those that are surrounded by prophecy."


	11. The Clan of the Mountains

To say that they weren't welcome was an understatement, Thunderstorm realized. Nearly all of the cats they passed on their way into the cave hissed angrily upon the sight of them and he even saw a few sets of claws unsheathe. He hoped that Rock and Day would be able to settle things quickly and that there would be no need to fight. He had been taught the basics of fighting but it wasn't something that had been encouraged. Fighting was only done when there was no other option.

"Rock," a silver-spotted tabby tom spat. "What's the meaning of this? Why are you bringing strangers into our midst?"

"They need to see Speaks for the Mountain," Rock replied. "It's urgent."

"How urgent can it be?" the other tom hissed. "Why do _strangers_ need to speak to our leader?"

"I'm pretty positive they're the prophesized ones, Talon," Rock replied. "Speaks for the Mountain is the only one that will know for sure if they are or not."

"Why do you think they are?" Talon demanded. "Because they look like Lightning?"

"We've had dreams," Rainstorm interjected. "And we've traveled a long way to find kits that have been stolen from us."

The two toms acted like they didn't even hear her.

"No. I think it's them because it all _fits_," Rock growled.

"Only Speaks for the Mountain can decide that," Talon spat.

"Then take them to him!" Rock hissed, claws unsheathing. "Or at least let us pass."

"I won't let them near our kits," Talon protested.

"We won't harm your kits," Rainstorm mewed gently but once again she was ignored. Day nudged the black she-cat off to the side.

"Don't try," she mewed to Rainstorm. "When we're among clan members, the protectors like to ignore the hunters and other she-cats. They'll only listen to a select few she-cats."

"Why?" Rainstorm asked. "Every clan member's voice should be heard." Day licked a paw as she tried to formulate an answer.

"Who knows why toms act the way they do," she replied. "And I'm sure that some have gotten it in their heads that since us she-cats only hunt and give birth to kits, instead of actively defending our clan from predators and the few enemies we have, that we're not as important as they are."

A white she-cat with a single black paw sitting off to the side nodded in agreement.

"That doesn't make any sense, though," Rainstorm mewed in confusion.

"Not many things do in our world. We learn to accept them and move on," the white she-cat stated. "I'm Night of Ice and I'll take you to Speaks for the Mountain since Talon won't stand aside."

"How?" Rainstorm asked. "Won't we have to go past him?"

Night of Ice and Day shook their heads.

"Our home breaks apart into many sections," Night of Ice said. "But there are a few routes that will lead to the same place if you go far enough. Talon guards the most direct route to the center, where our leader makes his nest, but it's not the only way."

"My companions—" Rainstorm began to ask but Day shook her head.

"Talon will notice them sneaking away," she said. "Rock will make sure they join us. If we move quickly, we can get to Speaks for the Mountain before Talon notices that we've taken you away."

"Why me, though?" Rainstorm asked as she padded after the she-cats.

"Because you seem to be the leader of your tiny group," Day replied. "And a leader must speak to their fellow leaders first, before any others."

"I'm not the leader," Rainstorm protested quietly. "There are no leaders in our group. We work together as equals."

"Then you are the one that wants to succeed at this task the most," Day mewed. "Even just by talking with you for a small time, it was apparent that you are the most passionate to get your kits back. One tom seems reluctant to fill his role and the other seems hesitant to do what is necessary to take the kits back. Only you, it seems, have accepted your role and the possibility of fighting to win your battles."

Rainstorm sighed. She had the same fears but she hadn't realized it was so noticeable to others. She trailed the two she-cats silently, wandering further into the cave. At times the ceiling was so low that she had to flatten herself on her belly to push forward. Wherever she brushed the walls, dirt caught on her fur.

"Not much further," Night of Ice encouraged. Her pace quickened and Rainstorm had to quicken her own pace to keep up. The cave began to open up and soon there was small circle in the cave where the path seemed to end. It was brighter than the rest of the cave. Rainstorm looked around as her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw why. There was a small hole in the ceiling, just big enough for a small cat to squeeze through. Light streamed through it.

"Speaks for the Mountain?" Day asked politely. A gray tabby tom stepped forward into the light, followed by a pure white she-cat.

"Speaks for the Night," Day greeted the she-cat.

"Day that Never Ends," the tom greeted. "What brings you down here. I can sense that you have a visitor that is not of our clan. Who is she?"

Rainstorm was confused as to why the tom only sensed that she was there and didn't look directly at her. Then she noticed the small deformation. Where there should have been eyes, there was nothing. There were just the eye sockets. The black she-cat shivered nervously.

"She calls herself Rainstorm," Day mewed. "And she travels with two toms named Thunderstorm and Windstorm." Speaks for the Mountain and Speaks for the Night stiffened at her announcement.

"Are they the ones?" Speaks for the Night asked sharply. "Is it finally time?"

"I believe so," Day said. "That's why I brought her to see Speaks for the Mountain. We wanted to be positive before—"

"Before you told me?" a sharp voice rang out from the corner. Rainstorm watched with wide eyes as another cat emerged from the cave's shadows. The newcomer was a black cat with the most unusual set of eyes Rainstorm had ever seen. One blue and one green.

Day sighed but nodded.

"Yes, before we informed you, Storm full of Lightning," she said. "We didn't want to give you false hope."


	12. A Complete Group

The black she-cat eyed Day cautiously before glancing at Speaks for the Mountain.

"False hope?" she asked. "The only hope I ever had was that the _prophecy,_" she spat the word, "that singled me out would be false. Now that it's coming true, I see that all that hope has gone to waste."

"Storm full of Lightning," Speaks for the Night began in a weary voice but the black she-cat didn't allow her to continue speaking.

"It doesn't matter," she said coldly. "What's done is done and what will be will be." The words sounded like a mantra that had been said many times before. "Don't bother confirming it, Speakers. I'll go with them and if they turn out to not be the ones, at least I'll have gotten out of this place and away from those who believe in the ridiculousness of prophecy."

With those words, Storm full of Lightning brushed past Day, Night of Ice, and Rainstorm, and began to run down the path they had come.

Speaks for the Mountain sighed.

"If she's accepted it," he began, "there's nothing else I can say to make her listen. Storm of Rain, watch over her on your travels. She's still young and hasn't seen as much of the world you have."

Rainstorm nodded before remembering that the tom wouldn't be able to see her.

"I will," she promised. "And I'll try my best to make sure that she comes back safely."

Speaks for the Mountain sighed again.

"It would be a futile task," he informed her. "I have already predicted that she will not be returning to us."

His words made the fur along Rainstorm's spine stand up.

"Safe journeys," Speaks for the Mountain wished as Day nudged Rainstorm away. The she-cats left the Speakers in a troubling silence.

"What did he mean?" Rainstorm asked once they were out of earshot. "When he said that she wouldn't be returning?"

Night of Ice and Day traded looks.

"I wouldn't know," Night of Ice replied. "We've always known that once Lightning left for her task, something big would happen. If Storm full of Lightning knows for sure what's going to happen to her, she hasn't said and Speaks for the Mountain has never been fond of giving straightforward answers."

"You don't think she'll die, though?" Rainstorm asked. The she-cats didn't respond.

"If she knows, she hasn't said," Day repeated. "We try not to linger on the idea, like I imagine she does. What happens will happens and there's nothing we can do to change that."

Talon and Rock were still arguing as they slipped out of the passage. Windstorm gave Rainstorm a strange look. Rainstorm gestured with her head that they should leave the cave. Windstorm flicked Thunderstorm's shoulder with his tail and sighed heavily.

"It's useless," he told Rock. "Your clanmate doesn't want to let us through, which is understandable. We'll be on our way now."

"But you must speak with Speaks for the Mountain," Rock insisted.

"No they don't," a she-cat spoke up. Rainstorm recognized her as Storm full of Lightning. "I'll go with them. There are not many others that it could possibly be."

"Storm full of Lightning," Talon protested but the black she-cat started padding away toward the cave entrance. Rainstorm felt her heart sink as she realized that the she-cat wasn't planning on saying goodbye—to anyone.

"Thank you for your help," she told Night of Ice and Day that Never Ends.

"Safe journeys," Day wished her. Rainstorm nodded.

"Safe hunting," she wished in return before padding after Storm full of Lightning. She didn't look back to see if Thunderstorm and Windstorm would follow her. She already knew that they would.

"So what exactly happened to you in there?" Windstorm asked once they were out of the cave.

"While the toms were being toms and arguing," Rainstorm mewed cheerfully, "Day took me to see Speaks for the Mountain, where I also met Storm full of Lightning. She's the last one we need, according to this prophecy."

"Doesn't seem too happy about it," Thunderstorm commented as they approached Storm full of Lightning.

"There's reasons for that, I think," Rainstorm said carefully before addressing the newest member of the group. "Storm full of Lightning—"

"Just Lightning will do," the mountain cat interrupted. "It's not as long."

"Lightning," Rainstorm began again. "I'm Rainstorm and this is Thunderstorm and Windstorm." She used her tail to point out which tom was which. Lightning gave a curt nod.

"I can show you the quickest way out of our territory," she said. "But I won't be much help once we're outside the territory. I wasn't allowed out much so I only know the basics of hunting and tracking."

"What about fighting?" Windstorm inquired. Lightning shook her head.

"That's a tom's job," she replied. "At least the way we did it."

Windstorm sighed. So it was only him and Rainstorm that really knew how to defend themselves. Fantastic.

If he had to be part of a prophecy, couldn't he have been granted companions that were at least somewhat useful?


	13. Learning

By the time the sun was setting in the sky, they had reached what Lightning had declared the old Clan of the Mountains camp. Like the current camp, it was a cave hidden by slippery rocks and partially flooded due to a stream nearby.

Windstorm looked at the abandoned camp in disgust.

"Why would you live in a place that floods?" he asked. Lightning looked at the flooded floor. Her ears twitched in annoyance.

"It only floods during the Time of Melting Snow," she replied. "Where we are now is the camp we stayed in when this camp flooded."

"Your kits and elders made that journey?" Windstorm asked in disbelief. His pads hurt from the rock and his claws felt shredded from trying to grip where there was nothing to grip. Lightning nodded.

"There are less perilous ways," she explained. "But I took you the quickest route I knew of."

Windstorm turned away, grumbling under his breath. Rainstorm ignored him and turned to Thunderstorm and Lightning.

"We should work on your fighting abilities," she announced. "We don't know what we're going to face during the next part of our journey and chances are that we'll need to fight to get our kits back."

Almost immediately Thunderstorm and Lightning protested.

"Fighting should only be used as a last resort," Thunderstorm declared. Lightning yawned.

"And it's only for toms," she added. Windstorm huffed in irritation.

"You both should know how to defend yourselves," Rainstorm informed the pair. "And not just against other cats. There are other creatures we might come across."

"What kind of creatures do you fight?" Lightning asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "The only creatures our protectors fight are the eagles. We're told to flee if we see any maneless lions or wolves."

"Maneless lions?" Rainstorm asked. "Like from the nursery tales? A Great Cat?"

Lightning licked one of her black paws.

"Maybe," she said carefully. "I think your tales are different from ours though. They're huge cats but they don't speak our tongue and they're certainly not in our old stories. They're just in our terror stories."

"What's a wolf?" Thunderstorm asked. Lightning stared at him strangely, as if she couldn't believe he had never heard of a wolf.

"It's a creature with foul breath, sharp fangs, and angry yellow eyes," she replied. "They howl at night to scare away things. They'll chase you but they can't climb. They rarely come this high."

Lightning's description sounded like a dog to the other three cats. Thunderstorm had wondered about the howling.

"What about you, Thunderstorm?" Rainstorm asked. The black tom's nose twitched as he thought.

"Two-leggers and their dogs are really the only things we encounter," he said. "There are some birds but they don't really pose a threat."

"Two-leggers?" Lightning questioned. "Dogs?"

"Dogs are like your wolves," Thunderstorm explained. "But some are occasionally friendly. Two-leggers control them. They walk on two legs and are furless, so they wear the fur of other animals."

Lightning snorted in contempt.

"They sound like they look stupid," she muttered as she continued to lick her paw.

"They are stupid," Windstorm agreed.

"And what about you?" Thunderstorm asked. Rainstorm and Windstorm shared a look.

"Foxes," Windstorm said.

"Badgers," Rainstorm added. "And snakes."

"And other clans," Windstorm mewed, glaring at Rainstorm, who flicked her tail. Lightning set down her paw and looked at the two in curiosity.

"There's more than one clan from where you're from?" she asked. Rainstorm nodded.

"We often end up fighting over territory," she said. "There are two of us, though our nursery tales say that there used to be more."

"Why do you fight?" Lightning asked. "Why don't you just share territories and become one clan?"

"Because we just don't," Windstorm snapped. "Forestclan think they're better than Moorclan because they live in the trees."

Rainstorm snorted. "And Moorclan acts like they rule the land just because they're fast," she retorted.

"Don't fight," Thunderstorm broke in. "Please don't fight."

"So you waste lives fighting over petty arguments?" Lightning asked. "If you got along, there wouldn't be the need to learn how to fight each other."

"It's the way things have always been," Windstorm pointed out. He looked at Rainstorm. "Are you going to teach them to fight or are you going to keep getting distracted by little things?" he asked sharply. Rainstorm let out a small hiss of annoyance.

"There's nothing wrong about learning what other clans think or how they do things," she told him before turning to face Thunderstorm and Lightning. "Attack me," she ordered them. "I want to see what you already know. Just remember to keep your claws sheathed."

Rainstorm taught the two cats until they could no longer see easily. She was disappointed by the amount that they knew. Thunderstorm mostly knew defenses but was slow and hesitant to attack. Lightning was eager to learn once she got past the idea that only toms could fight but she knew nothing. She caught on quickly and had great instincts but she was at the level of a newly named apprentice.

For a while Windstorm watched the group but eventually he grew disgusted with the lack of knowledge. How had these cats survived, not even knowing the basics? With a contemptuous sigh, Windstorm rolled over and tried to fall asleep. He was exhausted and sick of traveling. He just wanted to be home, asleep in his nest, surrounded by his clanmates.

"Stop," Rainstorm ordered. Lightning and Thunderstorm obeyed.

"We'll continue tomorrow when we stop to rest," Rainstorm informed the two. "It was a good start but you still have a ways to go."

Thunderstorm and Lightning traded exhausted looks.


	14. The Threats They Face

"So where do we head next?" Thunderstorm asked as Lighting signaled to the group that this was the end of the Clan of the Mountain's territory. He looked at Lightning, who looked back at him blankly.

"Which way do they come from?" Windstorm asked Lightning, who had no answer.

"They only stole two kits from us," she told the other three. "That was during the same sun, when the kits had snuck outside. As soon as we realized what happened, we kept the others inside the cave until we were prepared to go on to the next camp. They didn't get much of a chance after the first kit-napping."

Windstorm gave an irritated huff.

"You never tried to get them back?" he asked. Lightning's tail twitched nervously.

"What happens, happens and what will be, will be," she replied.

"I'll take that as a no," Windstorm grumbled under his breath.

"We should keep watch for them," Rainstorm suggested before Lightning could retort. "We'll see them eventually."

"Eventually being the key word," Windstorm muttered. "Is there really no quick way to find them? We have no idea when we'll see them again and it'll be impossible to track them on this cold of a trail."

"Why would they even bring the kits on such a long journey?" Rainstorm wondered out loud. "Such a dangerous one, too."

"During the last Time of the Melting Snow," Lightning mewed quietly. "Protectors came across a cat fleeing from this side of the mountain. He was near insane and didn't make any sense."

"But?" Rainstorm prodded.

"He talked of something called Eternal Tempest," Lightning said. "He said they took kits to hunt for them or to fight for them. Sometimes they used the kits in ceremonies."

"What kind of ceremonies?" Rainstorm asked, dreading the answer. Lightning didn't answer for a few seconds.

"Horrible ceremonies, he said," Lightning stated slowly. "He wouldn't go into detail but he implied that they were killed. Apparently this Eternal Tempest was waging a war against something in something he called a city and they needed kits to continue the war but they were running out of kits. That's all he could coherently tell us."

"What happened to him after that?" Rainstorm asked.

"The protectors led him out of our territory," the mountain cat responded. "A few moons later, our kits were stolen."

"They got desperate," Thunderstorm realized. "They ran out of kits to use, so they decided to make the journey across the mountains."

"They must be really desperate," Windstorm muttered. "This has been a long journey."

"No doubt that once the she-cats around them realized what was happening, they moved on," Rainstorm murmured. "What's a city?"

Thunderstorm purred. This he actually knew the answer to.

"A place with a lot of two-leggers," he informed the group. "A lot of the two-leggers that visit the sea come from a city. It wouldn't be too hard to catch a ride on one of their monsters to travel to and from the sea. That's how they're traveling so fast. They get on a monster going from the sea to the city with the kits and they can cross the mountains in less than a sun.

"Monsters?" Lightning asked.

"Big noisy things that go super fast," Thunderstorm explained. "They travel on black, fake surfaces that are hard and flat." Lightning wrinkled her nose.

"Oh," she replied. "Those things."

"What do you call them?" Thunderstorm asked. Lightning looked at him blankly.

"We haven't named them yet," she replied. "They aren't natural to the mountains, so we won't name them."

"Do you know where the thing they travel on is?" Thunderstorm asked Lightning, who bobbed her head.

"What are you thinking, Thunderstorm?" Rainstorm asked. The tom blinked and his tail twitched in excitement.

"If we get to there," he said. "We can just follow the monsters' path away from the mountains and to the city. It'll be the quickest way to find the kitnappers!"

"But also the most dangerous," Lightning pointed out. "Because not only do we have to deal with monsters and those things you call two-leggers, but that's also wolf territory."

"How scary are wolves, though?" Windstorm asked. Lightning glared at him.

"Scary enough," she replied. "They're vicious and they'll eat anything. They're faster than us and a lot bigger. My mother was killed by one that traveled up the mountain, away from its clan."


	15. Constant Arguments

Lightning's admission made the group more wary and fearful of the wolves. The she-cat herself seemed reluctant to go into wolf territory. However, at Rainstorm and Windstorm's request, Lightning began to lead the group down the mountains and toward the monster path.

The mountain cat seemed to be the only one aware of how much they truly stood out. Their black fur stood out against the barren mountain rock. She tried to avoid the more open parts of the mountain but at times it was possible.

The first night they nested in a group of thorny bushes. Lightning made sure that there were trees nearby so that they could make a quick escape if needed. The mountain she-cat barely slept at all during the night. If her ears strained enough, she could make out the sound of howling.

Thunderstorm, Rainstorm, and Windstorm seemed unaware of Lightning's unease. They had all been on edge at first and they figured that Lightning just needed to find her place in the group before she could settle down.

Windstorm attempted to teach Lightning and Thunderstorm basic fighting techniques every night but it was very frustrating to the tom. He was confident that an ordinary apprentice would be more useful than the two adult cats.

"You can't hesitate!" he growled once again as Lightning faltered. Lightning glared at the tom, making him shiver uneasily. Her mismatched eyes made her glares seem eerier than anyone else he had met.

"Do you think this is easy?" she hissed. "She-cats don't fight!"

"I do," Rainstorm pointed out. Lightning turned her glare on the other she-cat.

"I am not you," she snapped. "And I come from a very different life than both of you."

"Fighting is a necessary life skill," Windstorm growled.

"Hunting is a necessary life skill," Lightning retorted. "Fighting is unnecessary and I don't want to learn how to fight."

"How do you expect to get the kits back without being in some sort of fight?" Windstorm demanded.

"There are other ways," Lightning said. "Just because fighting is the only way you can see doesn't mean that it's the easiest or most logical way."

"It's also ridiculous to think that we could win in a fight," Thunderstorm commented. "There are only four of us. How many are we facing?"

Rainstorm and Windstorm didn't have an answer. They had only seen two but those two had been among the largest cats they had ever seen. They also had to consider that it was a large group for it to have come to their forests.

"If we fight," Thunderstorm continued after realizing he wouldn't get an answer, "it's doubtful that all of us would survive. And we don't know how many kits we'll have to take back with us."

"That's going to be fun," Lightning grumbled. The other three cats gave her curious looks. "Well," Lightning began to explain, "we have to bring the kits back the way we came. Meaning we have to take the kits through wolf territory, over the mountains, down to the sea, and back to the forest. We'll be going slower than normal, putting us at more risk."

Rainstorm looked horrified. She had never really considered the return home. Would the kits survive the journey back?

"We'll manage," she said, pushing those thoughts out of her mind. "Maybe we can recruit others to help bring the kits home."

"Some might be grown by now," Thunderstorm realized. "They can help with the younger kits."

"If they even want to come with us," Lightning remarked. "I've heard stories about creatures being stolen away from their families and never wanting to return once they settle in. It's the only life they know."

"Are you always like this?" Rainstorm demanded.

"Always like what?" Lightning asked with a blink.

"So—" Rainstorm couldn't think of an appropriate word. "Negative!"

"Those with constantly cheerful personalities are annoying," Lightning remarked. "And it's pointless to always try and find the good things in life. Sometimes there aren't any."

"It's also annoying when one is always being negative," Windstorm grumbled. "And doesn't want to do anything."

"I do plenty," Lightning hissed. "You would starve to death if I didn't show you how to hunt. Even now you still miss most of the time. Also remember who finds our nests for the night."

"Things we would be able to manage on our own," Windstorm retorted.

"You wouldn't have known about the wolves," Lightning snarled.

"We haven't seen any yet," Windstorm snapped back. Lightning's claws unsheathed but before she could lash out, her ears twitched as she caught a faint sound on the wind.

"My point exactly," Windstorm mewed smugly, not noticing Lightning's twitching ears.

"Shut up," Lightning said. Windstorm snarled at the command and Lightning glared at him before turning her head to see if she could pinpoint where the sound was coming from.

"What is it now?" Rainstorm asked. Lightning didn't respond. Instead, she took off through the mountain brush. Rainstorm, Windstorm, and Thunderstorm traded frustrated looks before following after the she-cat.


End file.
